Cross My Heart and Hope to Fly
by nobracketsociety
Summary: The flock in the mountains has been at war with the gryphons for as long as they can remember. It is how things have always been there, and all they can do is keep fighting back. But the situation spirals out of control when their ever strengthening enemy strikes an outnumbered patrol... and chases young hunter Matthew into the backyard of another sworn rival: a human. Wingtalia
1. Prologue: Part One

**All members of the "flock" are winged people, as in the Wingtalia AU. I'd advise searching it up if you want a visual. The characters are basically humans with wings, but they do not consider themselves "human."**

 **This chapter contains some violence and mild language. (Also, fluffy toddler twins with itty-bitty chicken wings.)**

 **We do not own Hetalia.**

* * *

 _Prologue, Part One_

* * *

Alfred rose before the sun.

He fidgeted by the cave entrance, watching the sky intently. His little gold and cream wings were already spread in unbridled excitement. Once the sun was up, he would begin his very first flying lesson.

Watching his fathers glide in and out of their cave every day to hunt or patrol the borders only fed the young boy's excitement. He couldn't wait for his wings to shed their fuzzy down and become sleek like Dad's and Papa's.

He couldn't wait to feel the freedom of flying.

However, the sun was taking its time, leisurely approaching the sky from the other side of the horizon. He didn't think he could stand to wait much longer, or he might combust.

Matthew, Alfred's significantly less combustible brother, was awoken by his twin's excitement. With a small groan, he curled up tighter, wishing that his wings were big enough to form a proper blanket. He was also excited to spread his own pale downy wings, but he at least wanted some sleep before taking to the sky for the first time.

Hearing the movement from behind him, Alfred swivelled his head around like a startled snake. "Mattie! The sun's almost up! Come watch it with me!"

"Noooo," the toddler whined, placing an arm over his eyes. "I'm too sleepy!"

"But you can't be sleepy! We're flying today!" He tugged on Matthew's left wing, managing to scoot him a few centimeters across the dusty cave floor. "Come ooooon!"

"Don't pull on my wing!" Matthew yelped, but he gave the other boy the desired response as he sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes.

From deeper in the cave, there came the sound of another body shifting as one of their guardians, Francis, was roused by the rambunctious fledglings. "Your children are awake, Arthur," he muttered groggily to the Brit under his wings.

"Before sunrise," Arthur grumbled into his mate's chest, "they're your children."

"Come on come on come ooooooon!" Alfred urged, all in one breath. "It's bound to be almost up by now!"

Francis gave a light chuckle, blinking his eyes open with a lazy yawn. "Shall we indulge them, or make them wait?"

"Well, we don't want Alfred to try it on his own, so I guess we should get up now," Arthur rationalized, sitting up and stretching while remaining under the comforting weight of Francis' wing. He turned his head to their impatient charges. "Come here, loves. You're not going anywhere until I've had a good look at you."

Excitement all the higher at hearing his parents awake, Alfred bounded over and stood before them, his feathers ruffled in anticipation.

Combing thin fingers through his son's soft feathers, Arthur extracted a couple broken ones before doing the same to Matthew. When both boys had clean sets of wings, Arthur finally stood up.

"Can we go now?" Alfred pestered, bouncing on his toes. "Can we?"

Francis moved his wing from Arthur's shoulders as he rose to his feet beside him. Stretching, he unfurled his impressive four and a half meter wingspan. "It is still a little dark out," he reasoned. "I don't know if it's safe for you two just yet."

"However," the Brit interjected, hoping to keep up the excitement. "We can try a couple things in here until it gets light enough to go out."

"Like what, Daddy?" Matthew asked, looking at his father with wide and curious eyes.

"Well, practicing jumping could help, for one. The two of you can try to jump into our arms."

Alfred tilted his head dubiously, not sure he liked that compromise. "Jump into your arms? But I want to fly."

"You will, love, just let me explain," Arthur told the child, laughing softly. "Jumping is a part of flight. It's the easiest and most effective way to take off. And if you don't know how to take off, you'll never get up in the air."

"Ohhh," the little ash blonde breathed in understanding. Without warning, he pounced on Arthur.

Arthur laughed out loud, stumbling back a bit at the force. "That's a good lad. Matthew, you're next, poppet."

The quieter toddler walked to Francis and attempted a cautious jump, not feeling completely sure of himself. He missed, hardly making it far before falling back to the floor of the cave. Dignity lay in shattered pieces about the cavern floor.

"Do not be afraid to jump," Francis encouraged him, helping the boy to his feet. "The sky is vast, but there is no room for second guessing. You must commit."

With a determined nod, Matthew braced himself again. He gave one big push with his little legs, with one or two flaps of his wings to help, and managed to land neatly in Francis' arms.

With an overjoyed smile, Francis embraced him. "Well done, mon chou! See, you will be a wonderful flier!"

Matthew beamed proudly, cuddling up to his papa. Arthur, who had been keeping an eye on the ever-lightening sky, finally judged it to be ready. "I do believe that it is time for our fledglings to have a real flight!"

Alfred gave an obnoxious gasp of excitement, adrenaline rushing anew. "Yes! Let's go let's go let's go!"

"Alright, alright," the Brit chuckled, carrying him to the edge of the cave. The view was spectacular, with a sheer fifty-foot drop beneath them that led to a cerulean lake, and rustling green trees surrounded them as far as the eye could see.

"We're going to try this the most natural way. I'm going to fly out about fifteen meters, and Papa is going to give you a little toss in the right direction so you can come fly to me. Who wants to go first?"

"Me!" Alfred immediately volunteered, seemingly unfazed by the drop. "Please please please please!"

"Okay, then," Arthur placed a small kiss on Alfred's forehead before setting him firmly on the ground. Unfurling his own four-meter wingspan, he dove off the side, coming back out of his arc the desired distance away. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Alfred shouted excitedly, feathers quivering.

Francis lifted the boy carefully into his arms, carrying him over to the entrance. "Is that a safe distance?" he called to Arthur. "What if they fall?"

"It's a perfectly safe distance," the Brit assured, judging it with his forest eyes. "It's far enough that they'll actually do a bit of flying, and close enough that I'll be able to dive for them if they fall."

"All right," Francis relented after a moment. He lifted Alfred higher into the air, not so anxious to let go. "Are you sure you're ready?"

Alfred gave a vigorous nod.

Stepping forward, Francis surrendered Alfred to the air.

"Come on, Alfie, fly to me!" Arthur urged, extending his arms out in front of him. "Flap your wings and fly, poppet!"

Suddenly faced with what he realised was a deadly drop, Alfred felt all of his previous confidence scatter like dust in the breeze. He panicked, frantically flapping his wings. Downy feathers shot in every direction.

"No, don't panic!" Arthur shouted frantically, realising what had happened. "Just flap your wings with your breathing." He tried his best to coach the young fledgling and up his confidence again, moving a couple meters closer, just in case. "You'll be fine, just fly to me!"

Letting out a squeak of fear, Alfred tried again, shutting his eyes against the wind and the emptiness below him. His wings moved furiously up and down, and he didn't open his eyes again until he'd smacked into Arthur.

"Wonderfully done, my big boy," the Brit praised, holding his son tightly. He ran a hand over the quivering wings, knowing that they were probably already beginning to tire. "I'm so proud of you, poppet!"

Alfred panted, clinging to Arthur for dear life, but he was grinning. "I flew! I did it!"

"I know! I'm so proud of you, baby," Arthur murmured, flying back to the cave.

"And I didn't even flinch!" he fibbed, puffing out his chest. "I'm gonna be the best flier there is!"

"Yes, I bet you are," he humored him, landing lightly on the cave floor. "Soon, you and Matthew will both be good enough to join Papa and I when we go hunting!"

Alfred's wings were still flapping in excitement, as if he thought he would lift himself from the cave floor. "When? Soon?"

"Soon enough," the Brit evaded. Despite his promise, he had no intent to let his fledglings hunt for quite some time… or leave the cave at all, if he could help it.

Francis knelt beside Matthew, smiling. "Are you ready to fly, Matthieu?"

In the last short stretch of minutes, Matthew's eagerness had grown considerably, having watched his reckless brother make it all the way to Arthur without falling. Now, he was eager to do the same.

"I'm ready, Papa!" the blond boy exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly. "My turn, my turn, my turn!"

Laughing, Francis lifted Matthew from the floor of the cave, carrying him over to the entrance. "You will do wonderfully, mon chou. As soon as your father-" He glanced pointedly behind him- "returns to his spot."

Shooting Francis a playful glare of his own, Arthur set Alfred down on the cave floor. He then returned to the air, finding his designated distance from the safety of the cavern. "I'm ready when you are!"

"I'm ready, Papa!" Matthew repeated, bouncing in his father's hold.

Lifting his arms, Francis surrendered Matthew.

Giving out a small squawk, Matthew flapped his wings as hard as he could. He refused to look down, knowing that if he did, he would surely fall. Instead, he remembered the advice that Alfred had been given, timing his wingbeats around his breathing. Just as he was beginning to panic, thinking that he was going to fall, he landed in the Brit's awaiting arms.

"Splendid, Matthew! I'm so proud of you!" Arthur praised, flying him back to join the rest of their family in the cave.

"Bien, Matthieu!" Francis embraced the boy. "Very well done! You will both be wonderful fliers."

Proud smile going unmatched, the Frenchman was about to suggest taking the boys down to the forest, when the low sound of a horn suddenly pierced the tranquil mountain air.

Francis stiffened, all playfulness and pride vanishing from his expression in a heartbeat. "Arthur. Take the boys to the back of the cave."

Gathering Alfred into his other arm, Arthur took his fledglings into the very back of the cave. It was too far for anyone to see him from outside, but from where he placed himself, he could still see out, should something threaten them. He sat down and wrapped his wings around the boys like a barrier.

"Daddy?" Alfred tried to see around his father's wings in childish curiosity. "What's happening? Where's Papa going?"

"Stay down," Arthur scolded at a low and serious murmur, bringing Alfred into his lap. "We're playing a game. When that horn sounds, we're supposed to hide and stay quiet while Papa goes and tells the mean gryphons to go away."

"'Gryphons'?" Alfred blinked up at him with perplexed July skies. "What are those? Can you eat them?"

"No, Alfred," the Brit sighed. He did not want to have to explain this to his fledglings, not this soon. "You can't eat them. They're big, mean brutes that don't play nice. They take our food and our land. Sometimes, they'll snatch a fledgling or two from a nest."

"Are they gonna take us?" Matthew asked, eyes wide in fear. "No," Arthur replied definitively. "That's why we play this game, see. I'm here to protect you, and Papa is out there to do the same."

"Whoa... that sounds like fun!" Alfred's eyes sparkled. The gravity of the situation had yet to dawn on him. He had no idea they were in any danger. "Can we play when we learn to fly?"

"No! Alfred, they're absolute brutes! They don't see it as a game, they see it as a reason to hurt you. I don't want to hear of you ever going after the gryphons, understand?"

Alfred flinched at the sudden change in his father's tone. "I'm sorry... I won't go near them. Are they gonna hurt Papa?"

"They shouldn't," Arthur assured, although he kept his gaze on the entrance of the cave. "Not if he's careful."

Alfred was silent then, though he still tried to peek through Arthur's feathers with curiosity. What did gryphons look like, anyway?

Matthew, though still being just as curious as Alfred, cuddled up to his father's side. He didn't want to see the mean gryphons, not if they could hurt his papa.

At the cave's entrance, Francis spread his wings and took flight. He glided between the peaks, and came to hover beside one of the other guards. "Ivan, how many were spotted?"

"Four is what I heard," the silver winged Russian replied, glaring out at the sky. "They're starting to really make me mad."

"I wish they would stick to the valley, where they belong," Francis muttered, scanning the sky for the alleged trespassers. "The mountains are ours."

"There," Ivan pointed. "They're getting awfully close to your cave, aren't they? Let's go tell them to back off, da?"

Narrowing his eyes, Francis took off toward the beasts, the severe parental need to protect his children taking prescience over his own life.

The Russian followed Francis. He didn't want the gryphons to win any more of their territory, and he knew that if he didn't make sure the Frenchman got out alive, Arthur would kill him.

"Hey!" Francis yelled, swooping before the gryphon closest to his cave. "Go back to your valley!" He sent the heel of his foot across the creature's face.

With an enraged squawk, the offended gryphon turned tail and left, leaving the other three to carry out their plan of invasion.

Arthur clenched his eyes shut, trying to ignore how close his mate's shouts had sounded, and tucked his wings tighter around his fledglings.

At the sound of Francis's voice, Alfred's eyes grew wide. "Is that Papa?" he whispered. "He sounds mad..." He had never heard Francis take on a tone like that.

"Yes, he does," the Brit murmured. "I need you to stay quiet, okay?"

"Okay." Alfred paused in his rapid curious questioning, fighting the urge to peek between Arthur's feathers again.

"Well, that's one down," Francis was saying to Ivan. "Though I have a feeling the rest will not be so easy. Flank the right, corner them against the mountain."

"Da!" Ivan nodded, doing as Francis commanded. He used his impressive five-meter wingspan as an intimidation factor, backing the remaining three gryphons against the mountainside.

Once the gryphons were trapped, Francis looked up, locating a designated ledge. "Now, Tino!"

From the ledge, there came a well-aimed torrent of rocks.

Back in the safety of the cave, Arthur decided to humor his son a bit. He parted a couple feathers, allowing the boy a small peephole just as Tino sent the rocks down.

The little ash blonde sat forward, observing the scene silently. His lips were parted ever so slightly in amazement.

Arthur gazed out of the opening along with his son, though not in anything remotely close to curiosity. If Tino was throwing rocks, that meant that the gryphons had been close. Far too close.

Outside, the creatures all shrieked in alarm, snapping their beaks with frustration as they tried to fight off the shower of stones. Eventually giving up, they forced their way around Ivan and flew, determined to get away from the rocks.

Said rocks continued to fly after them, as Tino refused to cease flinging them until their targets were out of sight. The further away the beasts got, the safer the fledglings were.

Making unintelligent squawking sounds, the gryphons swooped and dove away from the mountain, abandoning their mission.

Watching the last gryphon vanish back into the valley, Francis felt great relief wash over him. As soon as he was sure they had really gone, he was back in the caveas fast as his wings would carry him. "Arthur?"

"Are they gone?" Arthur asked softly, letting his wings fall from their protective shield. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, they are gone. We're safe." He stepped closer to Arthur and embraced him, overjoyed to see him completely unharmed. "And I am fine."

Feeling his mate's reassuring arms around himself, the Brit let out a sigh of relief. "That was too close. I had to explain to the boys."

"They would have had to find out sooner or later. Especially if the flock wants Alfred to be a guard when he's old enough." He kept his voice low, hoping the boys were out of earshot.

"I'm not sure I want him to be a guard. Not if the brutes keep coming closer like this. He could get hurt!" Arthur grumbled quietly, staring fondly at his boys.

Matthew, despite himself, overheard his fathers' conversation, but chose to keep quiet. He had questions, though, as anyone would. He'd have to ask them when Alfred wasn't there to barge in.

"It is not up to us, cher..." Francis continued softly. "As much as I hate it, we cannot stop them from making Alfred a guard. Besides, he is strong. You can't keep him in a bubble until his feathers fall off."

Mumbling something along the lines of, "I can sure as hell try," the Brit turned back to his twins. "Now that all the excitement is over, who's hungry?"

"Me!" Alfred bounded over, bouncing on his toes. "I'm hungry!"

"Me too!" Matthew chimed in. He toddled up to Francis and raised his arms.

"Well, I'll go see what I can find while you play with Papa. Sound like a plan?" Arthur inquired, crossing his arms.

Smiling affectionately at Matthew, Francis lifted him into his arms before redirecting his gaze to his mate. "Be careful, Arthur. There may still be some gryphons hiding out in the forest."

"I'll be fine. I can handle myself," the Brit assured, walking to the edge of the cave. "I'll be back soon, with all the little goodies that you can eat!"

With that promise, he stepped off and dove into the forest.

Francis almost seemed to reach out after Arthur. "I should have sent another guard with him..."

"It's okay, Papa," Matthew assured, nuzzling into his chest and staring up at him with wide violet eyes. "Daddy's the best hunter ever!"

The Frenchman smiled at this, hugging Matthew closer. "I know. And you will be too!" He kissed the top of the boy's head.

"I'm gonna be the bestest hunter ever!" he cheered. "And then you can stop being sad when Daddy has to get food, a'cause I can do it instead!"

"You're my brave baby, mon chou," he said, kissing him again.

Matthew giggled happily. Papa's Baby. That's who he wanted to be. It didn't matter if he was scared to fly on his own, it didn't matter if he had to fight gryphons or not, as long as he could keep being Papa's Baby.

* * *

The sun set much quicker that day, it seemed, and soon, the sky was darkening, blushing a deep red. It had been an eventful several hours, and Alfred was asleep before bedtime, a rarity for the excitable boy.

The Brit carried both boys, as Matthew had fallen asleep before even Alfred, to the indentation in the cave that served as their nest. "It's been quite enough excitement for me today, so I'm going to head to sleep as well. Do you have to go tonight?"

"Yes, if Toris can't," Francis replied with a sigh. "One of the gryphons caught his wing during the invasion. He was assigned to go tonight, but..."

"The poor dear," Arthur murmured, setting the boys down and moving next to his mate. "You should have told me, I would have brought him back a squirrel or something."

Meanwhile, Matthew's wings tightened around his sleeping form. He had entered the stage of sleep in which the dreams became a bit more real.

"You know he is too polite to accept something like that," Francis reminded Arthur with a small smile. "I will go up to check on him; if he is not all right to fly, then I will have to go in his place."

"Alright, love, that sounds-" The Brit was cut off by the sound of soft whimpering, which set his parental alarm bells ringing. Turning his attention back to the boys, he found Matthew with his face scrunched up and tears marking their paths along his cheeks. The fledgling was caught in the thralls of a nightmare.

Francis startled slightly at this, his attention immediately snapping to his son. "Matthieu?" He touched the boy's back just between the wings.

The boy snapped awake with a gasp, little hands flying out and feathers ruffling. Looking around with wide, wild eyes, he let out a frightened wail.

Immediately, Francis enveloped him in an embrace, wrapping his wings around them both protectively. "Shh, Matthieu, it is okay now... it was only a nightmare..."

"P-Papa!" he whimpered, burying his head into his father's chest. "T-the gryphons..."

Francis felt his heart skip. He knew the boys had been too young to see the creatures, and felt horrible for even letting the gryphons get close enough to scare his baby. "They will not get you, mon chou. You are safe."

"N-not me," Matthew shook his head urgently. It was imperative that his father understood what had spooked him. "Y-you... t-they hurt you..."

"Oh, Matthieu..." He hugged the fledgling closer. "Those stupid beasts can never get me. I am too fast for them."

"What if one of 'em is faster?" The boy's little fists clenched the loose folds of his father's shirt in fear. "What i-if you go play an' you don't c-come back, eh?"

"That won't happen," Francis promised instantly, kissing Matthew's head. "I will never ever ever leave you. No gryphon will take me from you."

"Do you swear, eh?" Matthew asked, turning teary eyes upward to look at him. "Cross your heart and hope to fly?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly," he vowed. "I promise."

Finally taking the Frenchman's words to heart, Matthew relaxed slightly. His back still shook with leftover sobs as he rested his head on his father's chest.

"It is okay now," Francis murmured. "Everything is okay..."

Abruptly, an impatient shadow fell over the cave's entrance, and a voice echoed through the chamber: "Francis!"

"I'll take Matthew," Arthur murmured, gently extracting his son from his mate's arms. The boy froze, fear creeping back into his system. Who was this new person at the entrance?

"Toris is too injured to go out," the voice continued. "You're holding up the whole party."

"I'm coming, Matthias," Francis called, gently exasperated.

"No!" Matthew panicked, lurching forward so quickly that the Brit nearly dropped him. "Papa, don't go!"

"Matthew!" Arthur scolded, struggling to keep his hold on his fledgling.

Francis gave Matthew another kiss. "I am sorry, mon chou, I must go. I will be back before you know it."

"No!" Matthew protested, tears streaming down his face and hands outstretched towards his father.

Arthur adjusted his hold on Matthew so that he was facing away from Francis. "Just go. It'll just get worse the longer you stay."

"I won't be long," he murmured, before leaping into the air. He shot a pointed glare at Matthias.

"Papa!" Matthew shrieked, pushing away from the Brit. He knew he was being naughty, he knew that he was going to get scolded harshly, but he also knew that he needed his papa. He kept fighting against Arthur's confining arms until he finally got the opportunity. With a final shove, Matthew wormed his way out of Arthur's arms and ran to the edge of the cave before jumping out after Francis.

It was fairly well known within the flock that Francis was a very, very good father. He was always on the lookout for anything that could pose a threat to his children.

So when he caught sight of Matthew, he needed not a moment to think, and he immediately dove under him. The boy was nowhere near ready to fly on his own.

Matthew flapped his inexperienced wings, but he was still tired from earlier that day and rather shaken from his nightmare. He tumbled head-over-heels, his face quickly turning whiter than a cirrus cloud.

Francis blessed his speed. Just in time, he met Matthew in the open air, and halted his descent.

Heart racing, Francis wrapped his arms around his fledgling. "Oh, Matthieu... never scare me like that..." he breathed.

"I'm sorry," Matthew mumbled, complexion milky as he pressed his face into Francis' chest. He shook with paralysing fear. "I-I'm sorry..."

Slowly and carefully, Francis flew back up to their cave. "I love you..." he whispered, burying his face in the boy's hair. "I love you, I love you, mon chouchou..."

"Oh my god, is he okay?" Arthur asked, flitting over to the entrance. Seeing his fledgling, he began to scold him out of relief. "Matthew! What in the world were you thinking? You could have died! You're just bloody lucky that your Papa was paying attention, or you could've gone splat on the ground, would you have liked that?"

Matthew sobbed harder than before, wishing he could hide. He didn't mean to make his daddy so mad.

"Hush, Arthur..." Francis said softly. "Lower your voice... he made a mistake, but he is very shaken up..." Francis raised his head to glance at Matthias. "Tell the patrol leader I am unavailable."

"But you can't just skip out on patrol!" the messy haired blonde snapped. "You'll be-"

"I don't care. Take Eduard. I need to stay with my son."

"I'm s-sorry," the boy mumbled, clutching at his father's shirt again. There was something comforting about the familiar fabric. "Y-you can go... I d-don't want you to g-get in trouble..."

"I don't care." Francis only hugged him closer. "Getting in trouble is worth being with you."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, sore wings folding weakly. "Matthias, I'll come if you need an extra guard," Arthur offered. "I know I'm not as trained as Francis, but it seems as if we're having a bit of a problem."

Matthias wrinkled his nose. "How much training have you got? We're patrolling near the valley tonight. We can't have inexperienced hunters holding us back."

"I've got enough. I only switched my training a couple years before the twins were born. I'll be fine," Arthur assured, crossing his arms with determination.

The muscular blonde huffed. "Fine. Screw up, and it's on your wings. Follow me." He took off.

With a quick kiss for his mate, Arthur followed the Dane.

"All right, keep up," Matthias commanded with a beat of his sandy wings. "The others will be sick of waiting by now."

"Understood," the Brit nodded, using an extra burst of speed to catch up to Matthias.

The two quickly caught up to the patrol. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" Matthias called. "Francis wasn't gonna come either, so I dragged his mate out."

"We have enough now, da?" Ivan asked, cracking his knuckles. "Let's go show those gryphons who is the boss of the mountains!"

Matthias pumped a fist. "Yeah!" He grinned at Arthur. "Sure you're up for this, hunter?"

"Oh, definitely," the Brit grinned, a devilish glint in his eye. "Let's show them why they should think twice before leaving their pitiful valley."

The Dane gave a barking laugh. "I like you, bro."

"Thank you," was the last thing spoken before the group flew off towards the gryphon valley.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the cave, Matthew's sobs had finally quieted to soft whimpers as he clutched tightly to his father.

"I am here, Matthieu," Francis promised again, trying to reassure him. "I will stay with you."

"I'm sorry," Matthew apologized once more. At this point, he didn't even know exactly why he was sorry, but he knew that he'd messed a lot of things up, and that it wasn't okay. If it was okay, his daddy wouldn't have yelled at him.

"Non, Matthieu... you do not have to apologize," Francis murmured. "Daddy was just scared..."

"I-I didn't mean to make him a'scared," the boy asserted. His eyelids started to droop as his energy faded.

"I know, I know, mon chou... he was just scared because he loves you." He kissed Matthew's head. "Sleep, Matthieu."

Loosing a small yawn, Matthew nuzzled into his papa's embrace and allowed sleep to lift his dreaming wings again. He was still sore, pale, and shaky, but at least he knew that his papa was safe.

Carefully and quietly, Francis climbed into the nest. He gathered Alfred into his arms as well, and wrapped his wings around them.

They were safe.

If only just for now, they were safe.

* * *

 **Greetings, everyone, and thank you very much for taking the time to read our prologue! This story is already written (it just needs editing), so please keep checking back! Updates will be fast and regular. (** **We will try our best to update regularly, but as two teenagers that sometimes have things come up, if we can't complete a chapter on time, rather than give you a short crappy chapter that leaves you feeling cheated, we will try to warn you if there will be a delay in the note on the previous chapter.)**

 **Additionally, we'd like to apologise for any inconsistencies in spellings. This account has two admins. One is English and the other is American. We don't always catch our differences because we write together so much.**

 **Still, we hope you've enjoyed our story so far, and we'd love to hear your feedback if you feel so inclined. Reviews are welcome and very much appreciated!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Moose and Paris**


	2. Prologue: Eight Years Later

**Second prologue: in which Matthew shows Alfred up and still manages to be an adorable little angel.**

 **This chapter contains some mild language.**

 **We do not own Hetalia.**

* * *

 _Prologue, Part Two_

 _Eight years later_

* * *

"Welcome to your first hunting lesson," Toris greeted Alfred and Matthew, adding a smile in hopes of dusting away any nervousness.

Toris's wing had never fully healed since the invasion several years ago, and he had returned to full-time hunting instead of guarding. Now, he was responsible for training the fledglings who were coming of age. He'd also taken it upon himself to learn some helpful healing, in hopes to keep other guards out of his boat, and had become the flock's unspoken healer.

"Hi, Mr. Toris," Matthew greeted politely with a nervous smile. He knew from his parents' hushed conversations that hunting was supposed to be his duty when he grew up, and he only hoped that he would live up to everyone's expectations.

"Hi!" Alfred chirped, significantly louder than his brother, with an excited flap of his golden wings. Their feathers now held the gloss of maturity, promising exceptional flight. "Are we gonna learn to hunt?"

Toris gave a gentle laugh. "Well, I'm going to teach you the basics."

He gave the boys a moment to collect themselves before continuing, his hands clasped together.

"All right. The first lesson I'm going to teach you is silence." He raised an eyebrow in faint amusement. "Alfred, let's begin by not bouncing."

The ash blonde ceased his excited movements, but he was still grinning.

Matthew nodded and focused on making his already-quiet movements completely silent.

"Silence is key, if you want to feed your family," Toris continued. "When hunting, your movement must be silent, your wingbeats must be silent, even your breathing must be silent. And it takes a lot of practice."

With a mischievous grin, Matthew snuck around and behind his twin, seeing as he was rather distracted: he was staring at Toris with a slack jaw as he tried to comprehend such noiselessness.

Keeping his movements completely silent, Matthew jabbed a quick finger into Alfred's ribs.

"Eeep!" Alfred leapt to the side, feathers ruffled and dignity momentarily lost. "Mattie!"

"Shhh! We're supposed to be quiet!" Matthew scolded with a shit-eating grin.

"Shut up!" Alfred pouted at him, arms crossed and lower lip poking out. "That was totally not fair."

The quieter blond smirked and pressed a finger to his lips. "Shhh."

"Mph!" Alfred protested against the finger on his lips, grinning all the while at his twin's antics.

Toris was trying very hard not to laugh at the boys. His eyebrow was up again, amusement getting the better of him. "Are we ready to begin?"

"Yes, Mr. Toris," Matthew nodded, smiling innocently as if nothing had happened.

"All right. We'll start with silent walking. Contrary to what you may have heard, not all hunting is done in the air." He took a few demonstrative steps forward, and it was as if he had floated across the forest floor, for absolutely nothing was audible from his movement.

Matthew did his best to copy their dusty brown winged teacher. He took a couple steps forward, balancing on his toes to avoid making noise. However, because of his attempts to do so with accuracy, he kept his head turned towards his toes to watch for any sticks or rustle-prone leaves.

"Not bad," Toris remarked, nodding at the boy with approval. "Keeping your wings steady helps a lot with balance, and silence. Don't move them around so much. And don't stare at your feet."

With an embarrassed nod, Matthew made the adjustments. He held his wings stiffer, leaving them slightly unfurled for stability. He lifted his gaze from his feet to stare ahead of him as he took a couple more steps, even quieter than before.

Toris nodded with an encouraging grin. "Well done."

Nearby, not quite so cut out for silence, Alfred tripped loudly on a branch. With an undignified yelp, he crashed to the ground, dignity lost yet again. Colorful leaves and golden feathers mixed as they went flying.

With a quiet laugh, Matthew made his newly-silent way over to where his twin was. "Are you okay, eh?"

Alfred spit out a leaf. "'M fine," he muttered, glaring at the ground with obvious embarrassment.

Matthew, ever the kind and loving brother, laughed again, putting a hand out to help his twin up.

Pouting, Alfred took his brother's hand and stood. He fluffed up his wings, ridding them of hitchhiking leaves. "Thanks," he said nonchalantly, trying his absolute best to get the universe to delete the last few seconds, and/or turn him into a shrub.

"So I'm guessing that we're not supposed to trip and make all of the noise we physically can, eh?" Matthew asked teasingly, smirking at Alfred.

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Please shut up, Matt."

Toris gave a soft laugh. "No, we generally try to be as quiet as we can. But it's okay, you're both still learning."

Eager to get back on track with the lesson, the pale-winged boy asked, "Other than being quiet, what else should we do, eh?"

"Be on the lookout for anything," Toris replied, his features once again turning serious. "Whether it be prey, or predator. Don't be so focused on silence that you forget to hunt or watch for danger. It'll get easier to multitask with time."

"Okay," Matthew nodded, but he wasn't so sure if he could pull this off. This was all much more complex than he had been led to believe. _That's just what comes from having Daddy be such a talented hunter, I guess…_

Noticing the boy's subtle discomfort with the idea, Toris was quick to speak up again. "Don't worry, you won't have to do both at once today. We're focusing on one at a time for now."

With a small sigh of relief, Matthew nodded. Nerves for what was to come were still prevalent, but he put it into the back of his mind.

"Next, we're going to work on listening," Toris instructed. "What's your favourite food? Maybe you'll hear it."

"Rabbits? What do rabbits sound like, eh?" Matthew questioned, looking around as if he would just see one run out of the dense forest straight to his feet.

"Well, rabbits can be hard to listen for," Toris admitted, silently wishing that the boy had chosen a louder animal. "But if you listen closely, sometimes, you can hear their feet."

Wanting to test out the Lithuanian's instructions, Matthew stilled himself, closing his eyes to focus on sounds and not sights. After a few moments of tuning out his own near-silent breathing, he heard it. Little feet, stirring up leaves and brushing the earth, to his left. He opened his eyes and spun.

He wasn't sure if he was following some sort of instinct, or if the impulse and adrenaline sent him forward. But before he knew what was happening, he had turned back to Toris with a thrashing rabbit clasped in his hands.

Toris' eyes widened fractionally in disbelief. This was certainly unexpected. It was only their first day. "You caught something...?" He stepped a little closer, composing himself so as to not frighten the fledgling with his disbelief. "Bring it here."

Keeping his hands tight around the squirming animal, Matthew made his way back over to Toris. He watched the creature intently, as he'd never actually seen one that was alive before. All of the food had already ceased moving by the time it was brought back to the cave.

Gently, Toris took the rabbit from Matthew, before turning his back to the boys and quickly breaking the animal's fragile neck with a tiny snap. The twins didn't need to learn to kill just yet…

"Did you see that, Alfie?" Matthew was bragging excitedly as he skipped up to his twin. "I caught a rabbit!"

"How did you do that?" Alfred inquired in disbelief. "I didn't even hear anything!"

"It's hard to hear, but if you ignore your breathing, you can hear little thumping and rustling noises when they hop," Matthew explained, still glowing with pride.

"That's totally not fair!" the ash blond protested, crossing his arms with a huff. "I didn't hear any noises!"

Toris turned back to them after the deed was done, dead rabbit in hand. "Let's give this to your parents, and you can have it for supper."

"I'll take it! I caught it, after all," Matthew offered, taking the rabbit carcass from Toris, who gave him a consenting nod. The boys had made fantastic progress, after all. With a look of pride, Matthew took off back towards the cave.

Alfred took off after him, lifting into the air after only a few running steps. He may not have been picking up on hunting just yet, but he was proud of how his flying was coming along. His wingbeats were growing very smooth and strong. Soon, he caught up to his brother.

Contrary to his twin, Matthew wasn't the strongest flier, as he had been too scared to fly for a time after his fall from the cave, but he was still fast and generally smooth with his movements. He matched Alfred's speed all the way home.

Francis, who was trying in vain to clean his sons'nesting area while they were gone, caught sight of the boys from the cave entrance. He paused. "Arthur, should they be headed back already?"

"I don't think so... I wonder what's going on," Arthur mused as Matthew clumsily landed inside the cave, closely followed by Alfred.

"Daddy, Daddy!" the excited boy called, running up to them. He held the rabbit proudly out in front of him. "I caught a rabbit! Look!"

Francis smiled, surprised. This was only the first day of hunting training and Matthew had already caught on enough to catch something? "Oh, Matthieu! Well done, mon chou, I am so proud of you!"

"You caught this rabbit?" Arthur asked incredulously. "It's only the first lesson."

"I know!" Matthew exclaimed. "I caught it, and then Toris made it stop moving, and he said we can eat it!"

"Well done, Matthieu, well done," Francis praised, giving him a congratulatory hug. "You are going to be a wonderful hunter."

"I helped," Alfred fibbed at a mutter, though his attempt at thieving credit went heavily unnoticed.

"I'll get this ready to eat," the Brit offered, taking the rabbit to the corner of the cave.

Matthew glowed with pride at the praise as his twin pouted. This was the very first time that he'd done something better than Alfred, and Alfred did not like it one bit.

 _Oh well,_ the little ash blonde thought, his eyes brightening. _Soon we'll get to guard training, and then I'll make it even._

* * *

 **We told you it'd be fast! We know this update wasn't nearly as long as the last, so apologies for that, but we hope you can forgive us once this story gets moving.**

 **One more part to the prologue after this, and then we'll be moving on to the real chapters! Hope you're as pumped as we are!**

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 **We hope you're enjoying, and please keep reading!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Moose and Paris**


	3. Prologue: Horizons

_**A/N:**_ **WHAAAAAAAAAA?**

 **I know, dear readers, that it has been a long time. A REALLY long time. However, Moose and Paris have decided to FINALLY rewrite this story!**

 **As you may already know, this story was already written in its entirety when the original two prologue chapters were posted. We promised regular and fast updates. However, Moose waited too long to transfer the story from one platform into another, and the story was deleted from the first platform, leaving no way to retrieve it.**

 **We thought we would simply discontinue it, despite the incredibly positive feedback from you all. Once again, we were wrong. We could not bear to let this plot that we loved writing so much go to waste. We will be rewriting this story while simultaneously editing and posting each chapter as we finish it.**

 **Now that we have the basic housekeeping done with, time for chapter-specific notes.**

 **This chapter is the last of the prologue chapters. If all goes to plan, the first chapter of the main plot will be up in the next couple of days or so. In this chapter, the twins are about eleven years old. This is the first time their age matters, though you won't know why until the actual plot unfolds.**

 **I think that's it for now, but please leave us a review! If any of you want us to write a one-, two-, or three- shot, drop us a review or PM with a request.**

 **Your friends,**

 **Moose and Paris**

* * *

 _Prologue, Part Three_

 _Horizons_

* * *

It seemed keeping Alfred still was going to be an impossible task.

The boy was practically bouncing off the walls of the cave, much to the annoyance of his family, but nothing could quench his excitement, short of the sun moving faster so they could finally be on their way.

Another hunting lesson would be one thing, but this was guard training. This was supposed to be his talent, his strong suit, his area of expertise. This was where he would excel.

If the sun would just move a little faster.

"Ughhhh... come on, come on, come on!" Alfred skidded up to the mouth of the cave again, looking at the sky. "Hurry up!"

"The sun won't rise any faster if you shout at it," Arthur murmured from beside him.

"But what if it does?" Alfred's feathers were ruffled in impatience, and he glared up at the sky again. "Just this once? Please!"

"If you tire yourself out, you won't be able to guard properly," Arthur scolded, wrapping a wing around his son.

Alfred squirmed. "Hey! Yes I will too. I'm the fastest flier in the mountains!"

"Are you, now?"

"Yeah! I'm even faster than Matthias!"

"Mhmm. Come on, little one. Let me clean your feathers."

"Daaaaaad!" Alfred whined, squirming with a little more vigour. "My wings are fine!"

Arthur ran his fingers through the boy's golden wings. He extracted a couple loose feathers. "You're still growing, so you need to pluck the dead feathers so that new ones will grow."

"I did!" Alfred whined, though it was clear he had rushed through the process, in his anxiousness to be on his way.

"Why did I find some, then?"

Alfred crossed his arms. "'Cause you picked them up off the ground to prove a point."

"Yes. I'm so evil. If you must release some energy, go fill the water basin."

"But it's Mattie's turn to do that!"

"Matthew is still sleeping, like you should be."

"But I'm not tired! It's guard training today!"

"Guards fill the water basin," Arthur laughed teasingly, continuing to clean Alfred's wings.

"Daaaad, they're clean!"

"They would be if you didn't let them drag behind you to gather dust while you walk."

"I just forget to fold them sometimes," Alfred muttered, shifting his feet in an attempt to scoot away. "Is it time to go yet?"

"Not yet. The night patrol hasn't returned yet."

"How long are they gonna take?"

"Not too terribly long. Come help me watch for Papa."

Alfred scampered up to the mouth of the cave again, eagerly keeping his eyes on the horizon.

Arthur wrapped his wings around him, shielding him from the chilly morning wind. He hadn't heard horns that night. That meant that there was not a fight. He was still tense, however. He always was when Francis was on night duty.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before several familiar pairs of wings appeared on the horizon. "Daddy, look! There they are!"

Arthur launched off the cave ledge. He unfurled his wings and let them cup the air. Within a minute, he'd reached his husband's side.

Francis smiled warmly in greeting when he saw his mate approaching, and he sped up his own flight to meet him. "Hello, my love."

"I missed you last night. How was it?"

"Fairly uneventful, surprisingly. We didn't meet any gryphons at all."

"Good. Maybe they will keep away for a while."

"Hopefully, but you know how they are." Francis sighed. "It is more likely we're being lured into a false sense of security."

"Ivan is going to want to double security, isn't he?"

"Yes. He's very concerned about an attack. The next patrol is going to be larger."

"Is it safe for the fledglings to do guard training today?"

"Of course it's safe. Ivan and Matthias are doing their training. And we'll be patrolling."

"You need to sleep. Let me go if they need someone today."

"No, my love, it's alright. Ivan requested that I be there, since he and Matthias won't."

"If you're sure…"

"I'm sure. It's a large patrol. Nothing will challenge us."

"Come in and eat first, at least," Arthur demanded. "Besides, I know two fledglings who want to see you."

Francis laughed, following him. "Are they excited for today?"

"Alfred is. Matthew is still asleep."

"As expected, yes?" With the help of their swift wings, the cave was soon in sight. "Such sweet boys."

"They make me so proud."

"Me too. I just don't know how you've kept Alfred in the cave for so long."

"I told him if he left, he'd have to fill the water basin."

Francis laughed again, much louder. "You are so smart."

"One moment." Arthur dove into the bushes at the bottom of the cliff. He returned with a squirrel, perfect for breakfast.

Francis greeted him with a kiss. "My comment about your intellect stands."

"Come on, you big numpty." Arthur led him up to the cave.

They were almost instantly pounced on by an incredibly overexcited Alfred. "Papa's back! Is it time to go?"

"Breakfast first, Alfred. Is Matthew awake?"

Shoulders and wings slumping in disappointment, Alfred turned toward the back of the cave. "Mattie!"

A fluffy blond head poked up from under a mess of pale feathers. "What is it, Alfred?"

"Get up get up get up!" It was reminiscent of their first day of flight training, as Alfred scampered to the back of the cave and tried to pull Matthew across the ground. "The faster we eat the faster we get to go!"

"I'm up, let go!" Matthew whined, flipping over so that he could stand.

"Get up faster! Come on come on!"

Matthew shook his wings out, getting the dust off of his feathers.

"Maaaattieeeeeeeeeee!" Alfred whined.

"Mmmn," Matthew grinned, sniffing the air. "Is Daddy making food?"

"Yeah, he caught a squirrel. Come on! Let's go eat!"

"I'm coming!" Matthew hurried to the mouth of the cave.

"Daddy!" Alfred bounced on his toes. "Is it ready yet?"

"Yes." Arthur handed him his portion.

Beaming, Alfred began to wolf it down.

"Slow down or you'll choke."

"Nuh-uh!" Alfred gulped down another mouthful.

Matthew ate carefully, looking out across the clearing.

It only took Alfred another minute to finish his breakfast, and he was back to bouncing off the walls. "Hurry, we're gonna be late!"

"You're not going to be late," Arthur chuckled. "No one else has left yet."

"How do you know? What if they did?"

"Guard practice begins just at the edge of the lake. We can see where you'll assemble from here."

"Well, they could be on their way!"

"You are unstoppable, boy," Arthur laughed.

"I'm done, Alfie," Matthew announced. "We can go now."

"Yeah!" Alfred rushed to the mouth of the cave. "Let's go let's go!"

Arthur smirked and launched off. "Follow me, boys!"

Alfred was quick to follow, excitement and his growing muscles helping him to keep up with his father.

"That's my boy, come on now!" Arthur called, keeping an eye on everything below him.

He may not be a guard, but he could still protect his children if need be.

Alfred was at the lake in record time, practically vibrating in excitement. His feathers quivered.

Matthew landed clumsily next to him, not quite awake yet.

"Where is everyone?" Alfred glanced around excitedly.

"Toris and Raivis are up there," Matthew announced, pointing up to the approaching pair.

"What about Ivan and Matthias? They're supposed to teach us!" Alfred was still thrilled by the fact that the head guards were going to be training them.

"They're securing the next patrol, love," Arthur explained.

"How long is that gonna take?" Alfred whined.

"Patience is important, da?" a Russian voice spoke from behind them. The young head guard had arrived.

Alfred jumped, startled, and turned.

Ivan and Matthias stood just behind the small group, having flown in and landed silently.

"Who all are we missing?" Matthias glanced around.

"Just Emil," Matthew answered.

"Awesome. We'll get started as soon as he gets here."

"Are you gonna stay, Daddy?" Alfred inquired, the smallest hint of a whine in his voice.

"No, Alfred. Not if you want a big meal when you get home."

Alfred hugged him quickly. "'Kay! You can go hunt now!"

Arthur kissed his head before heading back to the cave.

Just as Arthur was leaving, a boy around Alfred and Matthew's age with sleek, silver and white wings landed at the lake's edge.

"Ivan, I think we're ready to start," Matthias called.

"Who can tell me the most important part of being a guard?" Ivan asked.

"Protecting the flock?" Emil guessed, stepping up to stand beside Alfred.

"That's right. Can you tell me what the best skill is for one of us to have?"

"Um... strength." Alfred grinned proudly.

"Actually, no." Ivan smirked. "Even more important than strength."

Alfred blinked, confused. What could possibly be more important than strength?

"Speed?" Matthew asked softly.

Matthias grinned in his direction. "What was that?"

"Speed?" Matthew repeated, a bit louder.

"There it is." Matthias nodded. "Speed."

Matthew grinned proudly.

"Strength means nothing if you aren't fast enough," Ivan explained. "Today, you will race each other."

This had Alfred excited again. He knew very well how fast he had been getting. "Awesome!"

"What pair should we start with?" Matthias glanced at Ivan.

"We might as well begin with the twins," Ivan decided.

Matthias nodded. "All right, Matthew and Alfred. You're up first. You're flying to the island and back."

The twins stood at the edge of the lake, locking their gazes on the small island midway across the water.

"On three. One. Two. Three."

Alfred shot from the ground like a bolt of lightning.

A bit slower but no less determined, Matthew flew after him.

Alfred's adrenaline pumped with each wingbeat, causing his heart to pound in excitement. He had never felt freer, with the wind on his face and gliding under his feathers. Before he knew it, the island was in sight.

Matthew struggled to speed up, but he could not seem to manage it. Just a wingbeat behind his brother, he made it to the island.

By the time he was there, Alfred had already started back.

Matthew's ears caught something Alfred's missed, however.

A screech. A scream.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was flying the wrong way across the lake and into the trees.

Something was wrong.

Alfred's peripheral vision just barely caught Matthew veering off, but when he did he knew instantly that something wasn't right. He changed directions to meet his brother. "Mattie?"

"I heard screaming," Matthew explained hurriedly, his pale wings beating quickly.

"Where?" Emil had picked up on the screaming as well. He might have imagined it, but it held familiarity, and that sent him racing after the twins.

"This way!"

"Stop!" Ivan commanded as he followed, but the children were determined.

"Shit, Ivan... we'd better follow them. Something's up." Matthias glanced back to the shore. He couldn't leave Raivis on his own. "Hey, come on!"

Raivis followed the group, but he was clearly nervous.

Herding him gently into the group from behind, Matthias made his way forward to fly beside Ivan. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Nyet. I think a patrol must be having a fight."

Just then, there came the frantic wingbeats of a frightened scout. "Ivan!"

"What's happened?" Ivan demanded, surging towards him.

"There's been an ambush," he panted. "A really big one. Three guards are down already."

"Matthias!" Ivan bellowed back to him. "Fly back and get the rest of the guards and the better hunters! And bring Toris! We'll need a medic!"

With a swift nod, Matthias swept back toward the mountains.

Ivan dove in the direction of the fight.

The fight was plainly audible now, and as they got closer, Ivan caught up with Alfred and Emil, who were beginning to worry about just what they were flying into.

"Ivan! What do we do?" Alfred's eyes were wide as he looked to the head guard desperately for advice.

"Gryphons have very weak necks! Clear a path for Toris while I help drive away the worst of the swarm!"

"You mean we're gonna fight?"

"If you can," Ivan nodded, landing a kick to a gryphon's beak. "Otherwise, retreat now!"

Fear gripping his chest, Emil very nearly did retreat. However, when he caught sight of the fallen guards, all thought of retreat were instantly replaced by rage. Letting out a yell, he dove into the battle.

Seeing this, Alfred momentarily froze. "Huh-?"

In that moment, a gryphon crashed into him, sending him spiraling down next to one of the fallen guards whose blond hair and stubble was all too familiar to the ash-haired boy.

"Papa...?" Alfred's voice was barely more than a whisper and yet heavy with disbelief. No gryphon ever caught his papa... he was too fast for them. He'd said so himself.

A gryphon screeched, swooping close to them.

Alfred only had seconds to react, and only instinct to react with. He wasn't thinking. He essentially panicked. But seconds later, the gryphon lay dead before him.

On the other side of the fight, Raivis touched down next to a barely-conscious Eduard.

Thankfully, Matthias had just arrived with Toris in tow, along with several more guards.

When Toris caught sight of Raivis, he rushed over on foot, his damaged wings folded messily at his back. "Who's down?"

"Eduard," Raivis reported, lower lip quivering. "I think Lukas and Francis, too."

"All right." Toris knelt beside the fallen guard, burying his emotions under extreme focus. "Can you go and find me some moss?"

"Right." Raivis knew he wouldn't find much this far into the forest. He took off back towards the lake.

"Eduard." Toris touched his shoulder. "Can you hear me?"

"Toris?" Eduard tried to sit up, but he fell back down before he could get too far.

"Stay down," Toris murmured. "Don't move too much, okay? Can you tell me what happened?"

"Hit me from behind... They're heavy... I think my head is bleeding."

"It is. Just stay where you are. Raivis is coming with some moss."

"Is it safe for him?" Eduard asked, brows drawing together.

"Yes, he should be safe. Gryphons don't leave their group. Now relax."

Raivis returned, arms full of damp moss. "Is this the right kind?"

"Yes, that's perfect. Come here, I'll show you how to help Eduard so I can go and help the others."

"Okay." Raivis scurried closer, stepping over dead gryphons.

Toris took a handful of the moss and pressed it gently yet firmly to the wound on Eduard's head, the one that seemed to be the worst. "Do you see how hard I'm pressing, Raivis?"

"Yes," Raivis nodded. "Just hard enough to stop the bleeding."

"Exactly. Do you think you can handle holding it while I go and check on Lukas and Francis?"

"Okay," Raivis nodded again. With shaky hands, he took over for Toris.

"Eduard will be okay, Raivis. I promise." Toris did his best to quickly reassure the boy, and make sure he was holding the moss right, before gathering the rest of the armful Raivis had brought and rushing over to Lukas.

Matthias was already there, furiously taking out any remaining gryphons in the area.

No one messed with his mate and got away with it.

Doing his best to keep out of the furious blonde's way, Toris knelt beside Lukas, preparing the same line of questioning. "Can you hear me, Lukas?"

"Nnnhh," Lukas groaned.

"Lukas, you need to wake up," Toris urged gently.

Lukas shifted, opening one eye and squinting against the light.

"There. Try to stay awake. Focus on me. Do you know where you are?"

"'N the forest," Lukas answered hoarsely.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"Gryphons…"

"What hurts?"

"Chest. Right side."

"I'm going to look at it, all right? Is there anywhere else?" Toris lifted Lukas's shirt.

Lukas sucked in a pained breath, shaking his head.

"Shh, I'm sorry," Toris murmured. "It looks like you've broken several ribs."

"Fix it."

"It's not a fix like that. I can't easily set ribs…"

"How do I get home?"

"Someone will probably have to carry you."

Lukas scowled. "Where's Matthias?"

"Last I checked? Killing every gryphon that comes within twenty wingbeats of you."

Lukas smirked. "Good. How many are left?"

Toris glanced up and winced. "Too many..."

Finally, a wave of backup arrived. The hunters, concerned for their mates and furious that their safety had been threatened, made their appearance in a blaze of glory. They dove at the gryphons, their heightened ability to travel silently and attack quickly worked in their favor, despite the gryphons being several times larger than the flock's usual prey.

The rest of the guards, despite being exhausted from their prior patrols, made use of their usual skills. Instead of being hindered by their desire to sleep, they channelled their irritation into snapping the necks of any gryphons that attempted to form new groups of attacks.

With their help, the fledglings and the remaining patrol managed to drive the swarm of gryphons away, screeching and squawking into the distance.

Right up front, Alfred and Emil let their adrenaline take over. They showed no sign of mercy even to the last retreating stragglers, beating down whoever they could reach. Fires burned in their eyes.

Even when the last gryphon disappeared over the line of trees, they started to give chase.

"Nyet!" Ivan shouted, hurrying over to them. "We don't know how many they are going back to. Find your parents and go home."

The boys broke out of their trance at the sound of Ivan's voice and froze, breathing heavily and hanging in midair. "Huh?" Alfred blinked.

"Good work today. Go rest. You're going to be sore."

"Did we really just...?" Emil spoke up. His hands were shaking and he looked like he might faint.

"Da. You have good instincts. We are going back to the caves now."

Sudden realisation seemed to hit Emil then, and his eyes widened. "Lukas! Where's Lukas?"

That snapped Alfred back as well, reminding him of the reason he'd jumped into the battle in the first place. He frantically scanned the ground.

"Your family is being flown back now. Follow them."

Emil caught sight of Matthias then, and dove down to meet him. Where Matthias was, Lukas would be nearby.

Matthias threw his arms around him as soon as he landed. "Don't you ever fly away like that again. I know I'm just your brother's mate, but I'm also Ivan's number two. You need to let the adults handle things like this. Understand?"

Emil slumped a little in Matthias's arms, feeling faint. "I'm sorry... I heard Lukas."

"I know, I did too." Matthias sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Come on. Help me tie him on to me so I can fly him back."

Nodding, Emil took one step toward his injured brother before his adrenaline wore off completely, causing his legs to buckle. Exhaustion hit him suddenly and with the force of a falling tree.

"Shit," Matthias hissed, catching him before he could hit the ground. "I can't carry both of you."

"I'll get him," Berwald, one of the guards who had been sent home to sleep, offered from behind them.

"I can fly," Emil mumbled into Matthias's arm.

"No, you can fall out of the sky," Matthias corrected. "Thank you Berwald, that would be very helpful."

"I just want to see Lukas..."

"Please let me get him back first?" Matthias pleaded. "He's got some busted ribs, and Toris can't fix it until we get him back."

Despite being fairly limp already, Emil visibly deflated. "All right…"

Matthias handed him to Berwald and they were soon off towards their cave.

Meanwhile, a visibly shaken Matthew was trying to find Arthur through the trees.

"Mattie?" Alfred landed messily nearby, and caught sight of his brother's back. "Is that you?"

"Al?" Matthew asked, whirling around. He was bleeding from several deep scratches on his arms. "Where's Daddy?"

"I don't know, I just landed from talking to Ivan."

Matthew wrapped his arms around his twin. "I'm not ready to a guard…"

"You don't have to be a guard, Mattie..." Alfred hugged him tightly.

Matthew began to cry loudly, the full extent of the fight finally making its way into the boy's consciousness.

"Hey... it's okay now... everything is okay. They're gone."

Sniffling, Matthew nodded into his shoulder.

The bushes rustled next to them as Arthur finally found his boys. "I've been looking for you boys everywhere! Are you alright?"

"Daddy!" Alfred wanted to rush over, but with Matthew in his arms, he decided it was better to stay where he was. "We're okay!"

Arthur wrapped his arms around his sons, squeezing them tightly. "I've taken Papa home, he's got a nasty bump on the head. Can you two fly home with me?"

"Yeah... is Papa okay?"

"He'll be just fine," Arthur promised. "He just needs to rest a bit."

"I tried to protect him."

"I know, little one. I'm so proud of both of you."

"Did I do a good job?"

"You did. Let's get you home, and we'll have a nice rest."

Alfred's feathers still quivered with adrenaline. "I'm not tired."

"Let's fly home, my strong boy." Arthur let go of them and led the boys into the sky.

Despite himself, Matthew was still crying. He couldn't keep the images out of his head, and the scratches on his arms burned.

Alfred glanced behind him, concern for his brother evident in his eyes. "Mattie, what's wrong?"

"He's okay, Alfred," Arthur assured, moving a bit closer. "I'll explain when we get home."

"Explain?" Alfred blinked, keeping pace with Arthur. "Explain what?"

"You know that Papa is a guard and I am a hunter?"

Alfred bobbed his head. "Yeah, I know."

"Instincts play a big part in that. You feel energized because of the fight, right? Well, Matthew feels terrified."

"Oh..." Alfred pondered this for a moment. "Because I'm gonna be a guard and he's not?"

"Right. I'm older, and I did a lot of guard training before you were born, so I know how to fight through the fear, but Matthew has never seen anything like this before. He'll need some time to just lay in the nest tonight."

"Okay... I can leave him alone."

"You don't have to, but don't push him."

They landed on the floor of the cave. Arthur was overjoyed to find Francis awake when they arrived.

Francis raised his head tiredly when the group landed. "Hello, my loves. I'm glad you made it back."

Arthur immediately went to his side. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right, Arthur I promise," Francis assured him, struggling to sit up.

"You stay down there," Arthur scolded. He leaned a bit closer. "Matthew is a little shell-shocked right now. He'll need to lay with you for a while."

"Is he all right?" Francis glanced behind Arthur, attempting to catch a glimpse of the fledgling.

"He's never seen anything die before. I think it spooked him." Arthur gently guided the shaking fledgling over to the nest.

Francis held out his uninjured arm to the boy, offering a tired smile. "Come here."

Matthew sniffled, immediately cuddling up to him and burying his face in his chest.

"It's all right, chouchou... can you tell me what's upsetting you?"

"They hurt me," Matthew whimpered. "And you... I'm scared…"

"I know. But I'm all right, and this is something that we have been dealing with since before you were born. They're scary, but you don't need to worry. We always win in the end."

Matthew nodded a little, closing his eyes.

He knew he had to try again. He had to help the flock.

Just not right now.

"You can relax now," Francis promised. "You don't have to fear anything."

"Alfred, darling, will you help me over here?" Arthur called from the mouth of the cave.

"Hm?" Alfred scampered over to him. "With what?"

Arthur hugged him tightly. "Let's go down to the lake. You're filthy."

"I'm not... it's okay, Daddy," Alfred mumbled, but he didn't squirm.

"Let me take care of you."

Alfred wasn't sure what it was, maybe the adrenaline starting to wear off, but he gave in. "Okay."

Arthur led him down to the lake. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine! They didn't get me!" He pumped a fist, and winced, revealing a wound across his ribs that had been hidden by his arm.

Arthur gave him a look before gathering some moss. He pressed it to the wound.

"Ow!" Alfred yelped. "Don't do that!"

"It's healing. Do you want me to get Toris instead?"

"No, I can do it! I'm a guard!"

"You're not. You're a fledgling."

"I am too a guard! I killed gryphons and I didn't faint after."

"You did very well today, but I'm still allowed to mother you."

"But Daddy...!"

"No buts. Get in the water for a bath."

Pouting, Alfred waded into the lake, before yelping and flinching back. "It burns!"

"That's because it's cleaning you. Stay in there."

"No! It hurts!" Alfred whimpered, scrambling back to the bank.

Arthur hugged him tightly, gently rocking him. "Shh, it's okay."

"N-no, it's not! I'm supposed to be strong!"

"You're barely eleven years old, Alfred. No one expects you to be that strong yet."

"But I should be! None of the guards on the ground were crying…"

"They did when they were young."

"Nuh-uh... no way. All of them?"

"All of them."

"Even Lukas? Even Papa?"

"Even Ivan."

Alfred's eyes grew huge. "Not Ivan."

"That's right. Even Ivan."

"No way. Ivan is the strongest!"

"He's not all that much older than you, you know. Most of us are older than him."

"Really?" To a young Alfred, Ivan had seemed almost like a deity, who had simply been there forever. The young boy unintentionally considered the taller man someone who had to be several years his senior.

"He's only about seven years older than you. He was chosen by the previous head guard before he... Before he left."

"Oh, wow... is that why Matthias helps him all the time?"

"Yes. Matthias is a bit jealous of him."

"Jealous?" Alfred's head tilted slightly in confusion. "Why's he jealous?"

"Because Ivan was chosen as the leader. It's very complicated, and I don't pretend to know all of it. You may ask Ivan if you wish."

"Where did Ivan go?"

"I don't mean right now. After everything calms down a bit." Arthur gently washed his son as they spoke.

"When's that gonna be?" Alfred demanded, before letting out another soft yelp as water got into his wound.

"Just... Use your best judgment." Arthur finally let him up. "Let's go up. I'll go hunting in a few hours."

Alfred paused, a little tense as he raised his eyes to meet Arthur's. "Is it safe?"

Arthur's eyes softened. "I'll hunt at the top of the mountain. There are goats up there sometimes, along with small things. Will that make you feel better?"

Alfred responded with a hesitant nod after a moment's thought. "Yeah... I think so."

Arthur kissed his forehead. "Everything is okay. You'll see."


	4. The Flock: Dusk

**A/N:** **Hello, dear readers!**

 **We have now entered the main plot of this story! Woohoo!**

 **From here on out, the chapters will be a bit shorter than before, but only so that we can get more chapters out for all of you!**

 **In the next chapter, the pairings used in the story will begin to be revealed, so you can look forward to that.**

 **Without further ado, please enjoy chapter 4.**

 **Your friends,**

 **Moose and Paris**

* * *

Dusk patrols were beginning to move out.

The moon peeked from behind the edge of the mountains, its gentle silvery light dancing off of sleek golden feathers, which trembled with a bit of annoyance.

At seventeen, Alfred had grown into a tall, muscled guard with sharp eyes and the speed of the wind. However, his impatience seemed to have remained exactly where it was.

"Come on. Come on," he muttered, kicking at a loose stone. "At this rate we're gonna leave at dawn. Where are they?"

A pale feather landed on his head.

"Sorry, Al," Matthew called from above as he joined him. "I had to deliver a few squirrels to Toris."

Alfred glanced up at him, watching as he landed. "I love you, bro, in a totally non-incestuous way. But some warning would've been awesome. Where's Emil? We're gonna be last to leave."

"He's coming. He was in the last patrol, too, remember?"

"Seriously?" Alfred blinked. "No one told me. When did we start doing that?"

"I don't know," Matthew sighed. Even he, a young hunter, was being placed on patrols in order to keep up with the attacks.

"I'm never gonna get time to sleep," he groaned, with a false, overly dramatic sigh.

"Hey, is that him?" Matthew asked, pointing up at a thin teen approaching.

Alfred squinted. "Yeah, looks like it. They're getting back late, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Emil!" Matthew called. "Everything okay?"

Emil circled once before landing beside them, a little more clumsily than was usual for him. "Yeah," he panted. "Everyone's just being overly cautious."

"You look exhausted." Matthew handed him a small cloth sack. "My dad sent this for you. It's not much, but I'm sure you haven't eaten yet."

Emil's stomach growled at the smell. "He sent it for me?"

"Yep. Eat up, and we'll go."

Against his control, Emil ended up wolfing down the contents of the sack, much faster than he intended or was probably safe.

"Where are we going, Alfred? Did Ivan tell you?"

"Around the lake. Apparently there's some activity there."

"Let's get going then."

Alfred nodded, taking off without further word.

"So impatient," Emil sighed, before following as fast as his sore wings would allow.

Matthew brought up the rear, keeping an eye out for any movement.

Finally, just as the last light vanished on the horizon, the trio landed at the lake.

"So... We just sit here until something happens?" Matthew asked. "Aren't we going to, you know, actually patrol?"

Alfred scoffed. "Ivan said we were supposed to look around on foot a little. Come on, Mattie, you doubting me?"

"No... Let's follow the river into the forest," Matthew suggested. "They wouldn't come this close."

Emil nodded. "Good idea. Let's stick together, I feel funny."

Matthew folded his wings and crept into the forest, leading the others.

Everything was still and silent, not a disturbance to be seen. As they walked, Alfred felt himself growing bored. It was rare that he actually had any down time to just enjoy the company of his friends, and he missed it. It was clear the stress was getting to Matthew and Emil as well.

Before he could change his mind, he let out a yell and pushed Matthew into the river.

Sputtering, Matthew stood up.

He immediately pulled his twin down next to him.

"Ack-!" Alfred yelped, landing beside his brother with an undignified splash.

Emil crouched on the bank, wings folded neatly, watching the two flail around in the water with his eyebrows raised in amusement. "This is not how patrol works."

In response, both twins grabbed him and pulled him into the cool water.

"Hey-!" Emil flapped his wings in a frantic attempt to get away, spraying everything in sight with water.

For the first time in ages, laughter rang out across the forest.

It felt absolutely amazing to laugh. It had been too long since Alfred had been able to just goof off with his two closest friends. Around the dens their games were too loud, and away from them it was all serious business. He felt light, lighter than he had in ages. He felt lighter here, splashing around in the river with Emil and Matthew, than he did in the sky.

Emil caught the disturbance first.

His head snapped up and he froze, hardly daring to breathe, even as his companions continued, oblivious. Things had quieted, but something felt wrong.

All at once, the gryphons attacked.

With a piercing cry, nearly a dozen gryphons descended from the sky, and several dozen more were approaching. It seemed as though the monsters had planned for a massacre.

Matthew, though not the strongest of the three, was very agile. He managed to work his way out of the center of the swarm enough to spread his wings, but not to lift off. The gryphons were much too aggressive to let him escape.

Emil and Alfred were practically buried, though as the swarm moved, Emil was able to escape for just long enough to shout to Matthew, "There's too many! We need reinforcements!" before being jumped from behind.

Matthew tried to take off again, but a gryphon caught his leg in its beak. The bone seemed to creak, and then it snapped like a twig, and Matthew let out a scream of pain.

Hearing his brother in pain sent a bolt of adrenaline through Alfred. He surged out of the mass of gryphons, trying to get to Matthew. But it looked like more were pouring into the scene, and before he could reach him, another latched onto his wings. The gryphons were bringing in reinforcements faster than they could be killed. Just beside Matthew, as Emil struggled to break away from the pair he was facing, a third caught him viciously across the throat.

"No!" Matthew screamed, trying to reach them.

The gryphons, however, had other ideas.

They pushed Matthew further and further into the woods, clawing and biting and screeching.

Matthew had to escape. He knew he couldn't just retreat home; the gryphons would follow him there. He had to pick another direction and fly as fast as he could.

Blood and tears falling from his skin, he abandoned his brother and friend, hoping desperately that the gryphons would give chase.

Though he was unable to see Matthew, Alfred had a similar idea. Blood streamed from his nearly mangled wings, but with his last ounce of adrenaline, he let out a yell and flew into the mountains, away from home, but also away from Matthew.

Luckily, two groups of gryphons broke off to follow the moving targets, leaving Emil where he had hit the ground.

* * *

By the time Matthias's patrol found the spot by the river, it was too late. The gryphons were gone, and only Emil remained.

Matthias rushed to his side, waving Toris over. "Emil? Emil? Can you hear me?"

"Nnnh..." Emil's whimper was barely audible, and the hand he held to his neck did little to stop the blood.

Stepping hurriedly in front of Matthias, Toris knelt beside the boy. He gently lifted his hand from his neck, and cleaned the wound as best he could without moving Emil any further. He let out a sigh of relief after a tense couple of minutes.

"Good. The cut is far enough to the side that it didn't hit anything vital. He has just lost a lot of blood. He can be taken home and I can help more there with all my supplies."

Emil began to stir then, his eyes cracking open. "Wh...?" he mumbled, clearly disoriented. "Where...?"

"You're by the river," Matthias murmured, gently gathering him into his arms. "Do you remember what happened?"

"F... fight..." He tensed weakly at the movement, his eyebrows pulling together. "Matthew... Alfred…"

"Where are they? Are they hurt?"

"I-I don't..." His breaths were coming heavier. "Don't know…"

"No more talking," Toris commanded. "We have to get him back... And tell Arthur and Francis."

It was then that the rest of the patrol landed, the last few who had scouted the area. A familiar, panicked voice was accompanied by the sound of running feet. "Matthias? What happened?"

Matthias turned a bit pale, turning around so that Lukas could see his brother. "There was an attack. Emil's gonna be okay, but he's got a cut on his neck and needs to go home. The twins are missing."

Paling as well, Lukas hurried over, and brushed Emil's hair from his eyes with the gentlest of fingers. "We should search the area... they could still be nearby." It was abundantly clear that Lukas was simply trying to hold it together and hide the worry that made his hands tremble.

"I'll send out a search party. We're going home, though." Matthias brushed his wing against his mate's, the only affection he could give with his arms full of Emil.

Lukas let out a slow breath, and gave a small nod. "All right... let's go, fast, he's shaking..."

Nodding, Matthias took off. He kept a close eye on Lukas, however, not wanting him to worry himself to distraction while flying.

As Matthias knew his mate well, it didn't take long for Lukas to smack into a tree.

Matthias dropped several feet, hovering level with him. "Are you okay?"

Lukas rubbed his forehead, nodding. "Yes... shit, I'm sorry. What's wrong with me?"

"You're worried. I need you to concentrate, okay? We're nearly home, and then we can fix this."

"How can I concentrate right now?"

"It won't help your brother if you hurt yourself on the way home."

"I should've been there. I knew he was too young to be a full-time guard…"

"You took the previous three shifts. You can't always be patrolling."

"Yes I can, it's not hard."

"You need to sleep, Lu."

"I can't, not now."

"Please, just help me get him home. I can't fix anything until we get home."

Lukas bit his lip, but he nodded. "All right... how can I help?"

"Don't fly into any more trees?" Matthias suggested, smiling gently.

"Hey. That was an accident." Lukas crossed his arms.

"Even so. Let's fly a bit higher."

"Fine. But I wouldn't run into any more trees." He paused. "Is he doing okay?"

Matthias glanced down. "He's still holding onto my shirt, so I think he's still awake."

"Why is he shaking like that?"

"Adrenaline, probably," Matthias answered as they resumed the flight. "We heal quickly, and his body is probably just trying to begin that process."

"I hate this... he could have died, Matthias."

"I know... And I'm pretty sure Francis and Arthur are going to try to kill me when they find out that their kids are gone."

"But you didn't lose their kids."

"I know that, but I'm the one who assigned them to patrol."

"Did you know there was going to be an ambush?"

Matthias shook his head. "I just feel bad, Lu... They are younger than Emil."

"I know. But I also know they won't give up. It's that annoying stubbornness Arthur has."

* * *

Arthur wasn't feeling that stubbornness.

In fact, he wasn't feeling much of anything. He stared blankly out of the cave, his wings and shoulders burning from the hours of flying in search of his sons.

They were gone. He hadn't kept them safe.

Francis was just returning with another search party, looking defeated and weary. Silently, he landed beside Arthur. There were no words of comfort to be had.

"What do I do now?" Arthur breathed. His legs dangled off the edge of the sheer cliff and his hands rested limply in his lap. "Why aren't they home?"

Francis sat slowly, and took his mate's hand, gently rubbing a thumb across his knuckles. "They will be home... they have to be."

"I never should have let them go."

"You had to, my dear."

"I should go look again," Arthur decided. However, when he stood to try to launch off, he couldn't even muster the energy to lift his wings.

"No, Arthur, please..." Francis stood. "Ivan is sending out another search party. Please, rest... just for a little while."

"I can't..." Arthur's knees buckled.

"Shh..." Francis caught him gently, lowering him back down. "Rest."

"Ivan promised we wouldn't lose any more fledglings..." Arthur buried his face in his chest. "Not under his patrol…"

"It wasn't Ivan's fault... he had no control over any of this."

"Is he still out there?" Arthur asked softly.

"Yes, he is. He has been searching nonstop."

"I should be out there."

"No, Arthur. Please, just sit with me for a while...?"

Biting his lip, Arthur nodded reluctantly, and let his wings go limp. "Why would so many attack the fledglings?"

"I don't know, dear... gryphons are... well recently, they've been doing this a lot."

"They must not have much left in them if they're attacking like this."

"What makes you say that?"

"We have the food. They've never had this many attack before, and fewer will keep coming back to fight."

"So... you're saying they're getting desperate?"

"I think so. I think they're going all in."

"So what do we do?"

"We find our sons. We hold firm."

"Will this war ever end?"

"God, I hope so."

"We will get them back." Francis took his hand again. "They wouldn't give up."

His eyes grew distant, and they rested gently on the horizon. "Neither will we."


End file.
